General Running Tips

I'll only be highlighting their bullets, for their full list please visit: NYRR Heat Tips

Tips for Staying Safe in the Heat
• Respect your limits.
• Acclimate.
• Know the signs of heat problems.
• Drink enough.
• Don't drink too much.
• Eat a good pre-race meal a few hours before the run.
• Consume salt.
• Protect yourself from the sun.
• Check your meds.
• Wear synthetic fabrics.
• Use water along the course (cups, spray stations) to cool yourself during races.

Again the details of these points are on the NYRR website so go check them out and be safe when you run!

I went this morning and bought a new pair of running shoes. For a runner this is a right of passage. It's the beginning of a journey. It's a start to a story that begins with disbelief and some shock. It's the most important set of tools a runner can have. These aren't about how they look with what outfit, they aren't a fashion statement or you trying to be trendy. No, instead what these shoes will do is carry you, cushion you, comfort you and help you punish the road ahead. My exgilfriend used to call me a bleeding heart, friends have called me sentimental and probably to some degree these are all true. But there's more to a pair of shoes than just a fashion statement or knowing these will be my tools to completing a 7 month project. I look back at my three pairs of Saucony's and I see stories.

I look at my first pair and I think about the despair and trouble I was feeling at the time I first laced them up. I think about the snow fall in Central Park and hearing absolute silence as it was me and seven other runners running the park and the only sound was the crunch of the snow under our feet, I think about mile 26.1 of the Country Music Marathon and seeing the final turn that would let me say I was a marathon runner. I remember those shoes carrying me over the finish line with my arms stretched high above my head and me letting out a scream, a scream of letting go of that anguish, that anger and that hurt. A scream that was as much about relief and happiness as it was about pain and pride.



I look at my orange and white Saucony's and I see San Francisco, Seattle and Arizona. I see three different marathons with three different results. Should I have bought a new pair before each marathon. Yeah probably. They say you should run around 300-500. I probably put triple the miles one should have. Bu I think about San Francisco and seeing my best friends Renee and Steve there. I see my parents having made the trip from Seattle to cheer me on. I think about getting that Tiffany's necklace that is a finishers medal and running right over to my mom to give it to her. In Seattle and Arizona I had the pleasure of running with another best friend Norm. He ran with me in Seattle and picked me up when I thought I didn't have anything left in the tank. I think about Arizona and spending almost two hours in the meidc tent a mere 9 miles from the finish and will always remember the feeling of crossing that finish line knowing that I almost didn't get to finish.



And today. I look at my new pair of running shoes as I prepare for the biggest marathon of my life. I look at these shoes with excitement and wonder. I wonder what stories these shoes will tell in 7 months. Maybe I am sentimental, maybe I am a bleeding heart. No, I know I am, but I also know those stories and there ones that have carried me here and will carry me over the finish line in November.

Happy Running

The day I ran my first race I knew certain things:

I would never win a marathon
I would never win a long race
I would never be the fastest
Probably not even the best looking (ha ha ha)

But what I did know was what was in my heart. More than that I knew if I really set my mind to running I could do this. When I lined up at the start line and every start line of every marathon I've ever ran in the past two to three years I've thought about the same thing. No matter what anyone thinks or says about me, I'm here. I may not be the fastest, maybe I will even finish last in my age group. It's inconsequential. What matters are the people you can help along the way. When I run, I think of all the things in my life. All the good, and all the not so good. I know I run better with anguish. I'm not sure why. It pushes me, feeds me when I get to the point I want to quit. But as I near the finish line I think about the people that the money Team in Training has raised for cancer patients everywhere. I think about my NY team and know there is no team I'd rather run with. I've been lucky and fortunate my whole life. I've got my family, I've been through my share of adversity but here I am running. yes I think about my health I think about the people who told me they didn't want to be there. More importantly I think about the people who were there when I struggled with my health. The people who rallied around me and helped me get back up.

The day I run my last race I'll know

How lucky I am to be able to run and from the time the gun fires to the time I cross the finish line,
That each step is me thanking everyone who's been there for me and more importantly got me to realize it doesn't matter how fast you run, or if you win or are even the best looking. You'll get to your finish line.

And more importantly: You just have to believe you will. And you will.

Happy Running!

Here are a list of things I've learned from running. I've been keeping a list and gathered some from people I know as well (in no particular order)

#1) The first step is always the hardest to take when you want to change your habits or your life
#2) It's easy to be overwhelmed by your end goal, when that happens just look at the short game
#3) When the short game gets frustrating look at where you have been and where you want to be
#4) Appreciate the now
#5) When people tell you that you can't know that only you can say you can. That should be the only voice you listen to
#6) Believe in you, at the end of the day you will never have to prove anything to anyone else but yourself.
#7) Don't look at your watch when crossing the finish line. Your photo finish will look better
#8) If you are a guy look at the beautiful women around you. That should be motivation.
#9) Women run away from the guys that are looking at you constantly. It will give you extra motivation
#10) Guys keep chasing those women
#11) You'll never know what you can accomplish until you try. Sounds cliche, but it's true.
#12) Channel your emotions, when you hit your wall think about those people who made you feel bad and use that to fuel yourself and to push yourself a little harder.
#13) Be sure to give runners around you the same positive attitude you want from spectators. It's appreciated
#14) The body can do things the mind doesn't believe. (Thanks twitter friend @TCRunner288)
#15) The mind can do things the body doesn't believe
The most important thing I can tell you
#16) Believe in yourself there's nothing you can't accomplish if you do and there's nothing you can accomplish if you don't

I read about this today and wanted to make a comment briefly about running a marathon. Today three people died, one after completing the 13.1 half marathon and the other two (at the time I read) was unclear if they were doing the half or the full marathon. All three died of (an apparent) heart attack at the time I read this story.

It's a sad somber reminder that in any event, or any sport where you push yourself to the limits that this can happen. But it can. One thing I always do before and after a marathon is get a check up. Make sure my system is in good working order. It's a nice piece of mind for me to go into an event where I'm pushing myself hard that I know my body, at least from what the doctors can see at the time, is going to be o.k.

Now is it fool proof? No. But rates for fatality at a marathon are actually very low. Only 1 in 100,000 runners die in a race and half of all deaths occur in the last mile according to stats released by the Free Press. While weather was not figured to be a condition of this Detroit Marathon, weather can be a huge factor in DNF's in a marathon.

In 2007 the Chicago marathon was held on October 7th. The weather that day was already 73 degrees Fahrenheit at the 8 AM gun time, and rose quickly to 88 Fahrenheit by noon. The high temperatures were accompanied by 86% humidity. A 35 year old male runner collapsed and died during the race. Of 300 runners treated for heat related problems, about 50 of those people were hospitalized. My coaches have always told me to figure that your body temperature will be 20 degrees hotter than it is outside so to dress for that. So if it's 46 degrees when standing still or walking, figure once you start running your body temperature will rise and will get up to 66 degrees. As you can tell in Chicago with 88 degree weather, their body's were at a 108 temperature.

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center heat stroke is the most severe form of heat illness and is a life-threatening emergency. It is the result of long, extreme exposure to the sun, in which a person does not sweat enough to lower body temperature. It is a condition that develops rapidly and requires immediate medical treatment.

What are the symptoms of heat stroke?

The signs of heat stroke symptoms may include:

headache
dizziness
disorientation, agitation or confusion
sluggishness or fatigue
seizures
hot, dry skin that is flushed but not sweaty
a high body temperature
loss of consciousness
rapid heart beat
hallucinations

If you do suffer from heat stroke or see someone who is try to or get someone to

Get the person indoors
Remove clothing and gently apply cool water to the skin followed by fanning to stimulate sweating.
Apply ice packs to the groin and armpits
Have the person lie down in a cool area with their feet slightly elevated

Intravenous fluids are often necessary to compensate for fluid or electrolyte loss. Bed rest is generally advised and body temperature may fluctuate abnormally for weeks after heat stroke

How can heat stroke be prevented on race?

Drink plenty of fluids during outdoor activities, especially on hot days. Water and sports drinks are the drinks of choice; avoid tea, coffee, soda and alcohol as these can lead to dehydration.

This really goes back to one central core theme of this blog. Listen to your body. Your body knows when something's up. Don't be afraid to take two or three cups of water at a station. I always have my fuel belt with me in case I start feeling dehydrated between water/Gatorade stations.

It's a tough thing and scary as a runner when you hear about running related deaths. And we pause and feel for the families of these people. But if you are a new runner you should know, like in any sport, there's always a risk even if it's a rare or small one. So when you train you are not just training for mileage. You are also training yourself to understand your body and how to listen to it correctly. The latter I believe is the hardest training of all. You have to know how and when you should listen and when you can push on. It's a delicate fine line, but remember stay healthy. If it means you have to slow your pace to get to the end, do it. If it means you have to stop at a fueling station or medical tent during the run. Do it. Trust me when I say this: NO ONE WILL THINK LESS OF YOU (besides it's not about them it's about YOU!).

If you are here you are probably not a professional runner or an "Elite" runner (aka going for prize money) so remember you are doing something only (from what my friends have told me) roughly 1% of the population on earth ever does. So while all your months of training have led you to this point, don't throw caution to the wind. Seek help if you need it, that's why it's there.

Be safe, listen to your body and happy running.

(As stated earlier in blogging I am not a doctor however these are tips and advice I've learned from others so please consult with doctors or the on site medical staff if you have any questions regarding health related issues)